The Vampiress and Veelan

by Nival Vixen

Ginevra finds out that she is a Vampiress and works towards showing everyone that she can be happy with what she is becoming. Draco is a Veelan, and finds out that Ginevra is immune to his charms. -The future always changes- Draco/Ginny, various ships, including M/F, M/M, M/M/F, and M/M/M so far.

39. Chapter 39

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Read on, oh faithful ones...

...

Chapter Thirty-Nine

...

Monday, 2 September

(Two weeks after the start of the war)

Ginevra walked through the streets of Hogsmeade, keeping to the shadows and favouring her left leg. It was nearing midnight, so the streets were deserted, but Ginevra couldn't help but clutch her wand and glance over her shoulder every now and again. She knew that she was being paranoid, but at least Ginevra knew her reasoning for the paranoia was sound.

She looked up to the building in front of her, smiling briefly at the sight of the black scarf hanging from a window. Only someone who knew what they were looking for would see the scarf, spelled and charmed as it was, yet another precaution of paranoia.

Ginevra walked inside, heading over to the stairs and upstairs. When she was on the third landing, Ginevra counted along four doors to the scarfed window, and knocked in three quick succession of taps, pausing for a second before knocking two more times. The door opened and she slipped inside quietly.

Her wand was in her hand before the door even closed behind her.

"Who's that?" she snarled, voice rough as she glowered at the unknown man.

"Wren. Apparently, I'm to have a bodyguard," Draco drawled, rolling his eyes. "Jules handpicked him for me and he's trustworthy, so you can put the wand away now, dear."

Ginevra glowered at him as she slipped her wand back into her sleeve. "Don't you 'dear' me, Draco! Do you know how hard it was to get Lettie to agree to stay back, and then you bring a bodyguard here?!"

"Oh yes, I'll argue with Jules and Garion next time, shall I? They'd probably kick me off the Council before I've even made my point!"

Behind Draco, Wren snorted in amusement.

"Shut up!" Draco and Ginevra snapped at him, the Veelan paling and going silent.

"I didn't know you were going to leave Lettie behind, otherwise I would've tried to convince them to leave Wren for another time," Draco said, a little softer now.

Ginevra sighed heavily. "Wren, I'm sure you're a lovely person and extremely dedicated to your role as Draco's bodyguard, but can you get the fuck out of here so I can fuck my fiancé?"

Wren looked between Ginevra and Draco for a moment, then stood up. "Nice meeting you, Ginevra." He nodded to her briefly as he passed by to the door.

Ginevra waited until he was gone to limp over to the room's bed, sitting on it gingerly and looking at the blood staining her hand.

"What happened?" Draco asked, in front of her in a second and peeling back her blood-soaked robe carefully to look at the hex singe on her leg.

"Death Eater attack on Banchory. I left the twins to deal with the rest of it; I didn't want to miss out on seeing you," Ginevra admitted, cupping his cheek and wincing at the smear of blood she left behind.

"We could have rescheduled, Ginevra; Theodore needs to treat this, not me. I don't have his kind of skill, you know that."

"Yes, I know. But it's not life-threatening, so it can wait until the morning," she assured him, watching for a moment as Draco concentrated on cleaning the wound so he could get her trousers off without injuring her further.

Ginevra stood with Draco's assistance, sliding her trousers off with a low moan, clutching at his shoulder in pain. Her pants pooled around her ankles, Draco helped Ginevra sit down again, and then set about cleaning the wound properly. Once it looked clean enough to his untrained eye, Draco did a simple healing spell. It wasn't as good as Theo's, the skin still red and a harsh welt left behind, but it was better than nothing.

"Thank you," Ginevra sighed, cleaning the blood from his face and her hand with a tap of her wand.

"Next time, go to Theo, understood?" Draco said, worry and fear making his words harsh.

"Hopefully there won't be a next time, but yes, I understand," Ginevra promised, kissing his cheek. "Now get on the bed and talk to me; tell me what's been going on with your side."

Draco spent a few minutes taking off Ginevra's boots and her bloodied trousers, throwing her robe to the chair by the dresser. He climbed onto the bed next to her, pulling her into his arms and pressing a kiss to her forehead and eyebrow.

"Jules and Garion are assigning guards to nearly everyone. I thought I'd get Ravi, but he was already paired off, so I've got Wren instead. Small groups have been going out to fight - some are apparently teaming up with your side, but nothing that puts us or our friends anywhere near each other," Draco said, sighing.

"I still hate that they've done this," Ginevra muttered.

...

Flashback

18-22 August

Ginevra, Draco, and Theodore stepped out of the fireplace and into the fire. Literally, in fact. The Great Hall was ablaze; students, staff, and the various werewolves, trolls, vampires, and Veelas that had been staying at Hogwarts all fighting against Death Eaters while several fires roared around them. Dousing the flames on the hem of her robes, Ginevra used a Shielding Charm and then set about putting out the fires; it wouldn't do anyone any good to win against the Death Eaters only to be burnt alive. Draco immediately started fighting, hexes flying as fast as he could think of them. Theodore went to where Madam Pomfrey was set up temporarily in the hallway outside of the Great Hall, guarded and warded against any errant hexes, and helped her to heal the wounded, no matter their side.

Ginevra vaguely noticed the others coming out of the fireplace as well (Seamus was wearing a party hat; Ginevra didn't even think her birthday party had had party hats), some of them joining the fray with hexes and swords while some like Millicent helped her put out the fires.

Finally, with most of the fires doused or dying down, Ginevra turned to survey the fighting. Seamus' party hat was still on his head, though it was decidedly crooked; Blaise and Neville were fighting nearby, shields of plants and arrows flying almost faster than she could see; Niryal and her shadow fairies gleefully turning the battlefield into a bloodbath; Karma using some form of magic to hurt anyone who went near Seamus; the four twins were using a variety of gags and spells with more than one Death Eater on the floor groaning and covered in green boils; Draco seemed to be having a rather intense conversation with Julianne and Garion while the three of them fought a Death Eater each; Agnes and Xavier were on the other side of the Great Hall, fighting with fangs and clawed hands against a rather adept Death Eater; even Lettie was fighting, though she was leaning against Miles heavily, both of them hexing anyone who turned their way.

The werewolves were fighting in a large group, picking off anyone foolish enough to come close enough; the trolls seemed to be coordinated under Gregory's command, rather than swinging their clubs about aimlessly; and the Veelas were a terrifying sight to behold as they fought with their usual combination of beauty, grace, and deadly elegance.

Wondering where Luna and Colin were, Ginevra heard a roar from Colin outside, saw a flash of flames, and understood just why the Great Hall was on fire. Hoping that he hadn't been caught again by a spell to think his friends were enemies, Ginevra released the tight hold she had over her mental shield to check.

I'm fine, Gin. I can resist those spells now; defensive training worked, Colin admitted, his sentences short as he kept his attention on the ground below.

Glad to hear it, Ginevra came back to herself in time to see a wand raised at her. She dodged the spell, barely, not knowing or caring what the spell itself actually was. By the way part of the wall crumbled behind her, Ginevra doubted it was a Cheering Charm.

"Stop thinkin', Gin. Ye've just gotta react!" Seamus called as he passed by, parrying spells and hexes with a Death Eater, his bright yellow party hat hanging around his neck now.

She nodded and did as he said, raising her wand to defend against the Death Eater that tried to hex her again. Ginevra lost all sense of time as the fight continued on. Where one Death Eater fell, another took its place, and she wasn't invincible. She fought with wand, sword, and at one point, her teeth, actually ripping out someone's throat as they lunged for Parvati, who was protecting Padma.

The battle didn't end that night, nor the next; both sides retreating to recover, eat, and sleep fitfully, no matter if they were in the Forbidden Forest or the castle itself. While Ginevra was especially glad for Fred and George's invention of the refilling plate, there was nothing they could do to help stop or ease the bursts of fear and restlessness that followed throughout the night.

There was no sign of either Voldemort nor Virginia those first two days, but from the lovesick expression on some of the Death Eaters' faces, it was easy to determine that they were somewhere in the background, controlling their army like pawns.

The third day brought the two leaders to the forefront. As Virginia appeared on the edge of the battlefield - out in the open now that the Great Hall's outer walls had crumbled under the weight of two full days of fighting - wizards, witches, and otherwise went still and stared at her. Most of those not loyal to the Voldemort, Virginia, or the Death Eaters had been supplied with bags to suppress Virginia's thrall, and so didn't stop fighting when their opponents suddenly did.

"Shit, I just decapitated a guy. It was an accident, I swear!" Seamus said, wincing as he backed away from the blood still spurting from said guy's neck. "Why's everyone staring at the redhead? Ain't they ever seen a redhead 'afore?"

"That's Virginia," Ginevra spat, glaring at her distant relative.

"Now, isn't this a lovely sight? Two sworn enemies fighting side-by-side. Though, I seem to recall that some of you belong to me," Virginia said.

"What?" Fred and George said, frowning in confusion.

Before anything else could be said, several vampires and Veelas moved forward to where Virginia was standing. Julianne, Garion, Agnes, and Xavier all looked shocked at the betrayal. Garion held Julianne back from running forward to kill the traitors, wings out in full force to keep his wife away from Virginia's personal army that would kill - and die - for her.

"Now, I do believe there was a fight occurring?" Virginia cooed, her army turning and starting to fight with renewed vigour.

Ginevra spent that night regrowing her right hand.

...

The next day brought an eerie silence, mist and fog dulling any conversation to whispers. The betrayal of at least a quarter of their army made any attempts at real conversation fall short, and Ginevra spent most of the day huddled in the remains of the Great Hall with the four twins and Draco, Lettie and Miles protecting them while Ginevra's fingers grew back completely. It seemed the day itself was a reprieve from the fighting, but whether the vampire and Veela leaders had secured themselves away to discuss strategy or the betrayal, not even Draco or Ginevra knew.

Luckily, the Death Eaters didn't attack that day either, and though both sides stayed within their wards, it was still nerve-wracking to know that their enemy was only a few hundred metres away.

Julianne, Garion, Xavier, and Agnes left their meeting as the sun began to set, and over dinner that night, they announced of the decision that had been made behind closed doors.

"In light of the recent betrayal of our own, we will retreat temporarily. The traitors know our strategies and fighting styles, and we will be massacred if we remain and continue fighting," Julianne said, as serious as any had ever seen her before.

"Furthermore, we need to determine whether the traitors were influenced by either side, so until further notice, the vampires and Veela engaged in this war against Voldemort and Virginia will no longer associate with one another," Agnes added, her gaze resting on Draco and Ginevra briefly.

Xavier held up a hand to quiet the outraged cries that followed, and waited until they had stopped to continue on, "We will nominate two liaisons each, someone we know who is trustworthy and not susceptible to Virginia's charms, with or without a charmed bag. These liaisons will scout for information regarding Voldemort and Virginia, and report directly to Agnes, Julianne, Garion, and myself."

"From there, the four of us will meet to discuss strategy and to determine whether fights can or will be taken up by both sides."

"What about us?" Selena asked. "You don't expect us to stop our fight to pick a side in this childish manner, do you?"

"We're not picking sides either," Gregory added for the trolls, shaking his head.

"Neither the werewolves nor trolls were the ones impacted by this betrayal. You may think it is childish, but it is the safest way to continue without needlessly losing our own," Garion snapped.

"You think we weren't impacted? They were our friends, too, and they know our fighting styles as well," Matt growled.

Selena put a hand on her husband's arm gently, stilling him and quelling his anger. "In light of this, we will also retreat to review our fighting techniques. I suggest you do the same," she added to Gregory.

Gregory could understand the sense in what they were saying - he'd fought alongside or in view of the Veelas and vampires that had defected to Virginia, and if he had been a spy in their position, he would have taken very careful note of the way they fought - but at the same time, it went against every fibre of his being to back down from this fight. Not when they were so close to Voldemort and Virginia. He looked to the gathered trolls, then turned to the Veelas, vampires, and werewolves.

"We will retreat as well. I nominate Lettie as liaison for all four sides, and Herlorr for the trolls," Gregory added, nodding to his second-in-command.

"Sir?" Herlorr asked, eyes wide.

"You will be able to pick up changes to the fighting regime faster than the others, and besides, you are smart enough to not let your emotions distract you while gathering information," Gregory said, offering a brief smile to him.

Herlorr seemed both pleased and surprised at the praise, but nodded and accepted the burden of liaison.

Selena and Matt took a few minutes to discuss their options, and from what Ginevra could tell, they were both concerned about the children and their pack. Finally, they finished their discussion, and Selena stepped forward.

"We will retreat, though it is with great reluctance when our enemy is right there," she muttered with a brief growl. "We too, nominate Lettie as liaison for all four, and Rob as liaison for the werewolves."

Rob seemed as surprised as Herlorr had been, eyes wide as he looked from Millicent to his pack leaders. He didn't even need to voice his question, Matt turning to him and putting a hand on his shoulder.

"We trust you, Rob. You'll protect us, just as you have since first coming to our pack. Millicent needs to stay with her mate; it is not that she is not trustworthy," he added, nodding to Millicent in acknowledgement.

She gave a quick nod in return, taking Theodore's hand and squeezing.

Agnes stepped forward next. "Lettie is nominated for all four sides, and Ginevra for the vampires."

Julianne barely waited for her to finish. "Lettie for all four, Draco for the Veelas."

"Do you accept your role?" Xavier asked, looking at Herlorr, Rob, Ginevra, Draco, and finally, Lettie.

They nodded or replied 'yes' in return. Ginevra and her friends went about organising the students and staff to let them know what was happening. No one seemed happy at the decision - Ginevra couldn't blame them - but they agreed to go to Antarctica to continue training, away from Hogwarts and the Death Eaters and their army.

Within half an hour, their army had dispersed, leaving the Death Eaters and Virginia's allies alone in the night.

End of flashback

... b ...

Tuesday, 3 September

"Not that I'm ungrateful to be going with you, but is there a reason why the walk from the Apparation point to the vampire mansion is so bloody long?" Pansy asked with a groan, seeing that the mansion was still a ways off in the distance.

"The vampires aren't fond of magic; they barely get by with Flooing, and Apparating is usually only done by guests or enemies. With the Apparation point away from the mansion, they can see exactly who's arriving long before they arrive," Ginevra replied with a shrug.

"They're in the Floo system? I swear, if the Floo network weren't compromised, I would be so utterly pissed at you right now," Pansy muttered.

"I did offer to bring the brooms," Ginevra reminded her, grinning briefly; Pansy's hatred of flying was even stronger than her hatred of walking.

"Ugh, no, thank you," she said, shuddering.

"Have you seen Gregory lately?"

"Not nearly long enough; he's off training with the trolls, and in the meantime I've been trying to convince Grandfather that going to war is necessary for the mer-people, which is hard to justify considering it never really seems to be necessary for any creature, being, or has-been," Pansy said, sighing.

"If we don't get your grandfather's support, we'll be facing against whatever sea creatures Virginia manages to coerce alone."

"You think I don't know that? He's as stubborn as I am, and while I could probably garner enough fighters behind his back, it would be more effective coming from him instead."

"All right; just keep trying, hopefully he'll offer support."

"Grandfather's been asking about you and Draco; if you asked for support personally, he might do it," Pansy said.

"I'm barely able to convince Agnes and Xavier to send me on battle missions, I doubt they'd let me visit your grandfather for a maybe; besides, we've no idea if Virginia's already coerced the sea creatures yet or not. She could have them looking out for me specifically."

"Ric might know; he knows his mother's mind well enough. Well, according to Parvati and Padma, at least."

"I've already got Parvati and Padma working on Ric, but he's refusing to talk. Says he'll only talk to me, and I can't bring myself to face him yet," Ginevra said, her face paling at the thought.

Pansy wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I could lend Greg to you, if you'd like? He's very intimidating as a troll; I'm sure he'd be all too happy to smash Ric into pieces if he gets too close to you."

Ginevra laughed a little and thanked her friend. "I'll think about it. Parvati and Padma might get some information out of him yet."

"Oh, thank the gods', we're finally here. Can I sit down for a few hours now?" Pansy asked as Ginevra knocked on the door.

"Hopefully reporting to Xavier and Agnes won't take that long, but you're welcome to sit and wait. Leo is still here. We could visit him after I've finished my report," she mused.

The door opened, Ginevra and Pansy were ushered inside, and Pansy blinked in surprise at the luxurious surroundings. Then she frowned, seeing that the vampire who had opened the door wasn't Miles.

"I thought Miles had come back here?" she asked Ginevra as they followed the vampire to Xavier and Agnes' quarters.

"No, he just said he had to leave, but he didn't mention anything about coming back here."

"Where's he gone then?" Pansy mused.

"He didn't say. Lettie's so busy with her liaison role that I barely think she's noticed."

"I find that hard to believe."

"I think she might wish that she hadn't noticed, then," Ginevra replied, and knocked on Xavier and Agnes' door.

"Enter," Agnes called.

Ginevra opened the door and went inside, Pansy following.

"Good evening, Ginevra, Pansy."

"Good evening, Lady Agnes, Lord Xavier," Ginevra replied, Pansy echoing her greeting.

"What news do you have for us?" Xavier asked.

"There was an attack on Banchory yesterday morning; Death Eaters were looking for someone or something, but we've no clear idea on what yet.

"The Veelas are working on new attack formations, but some of them are finding it difficult and slipping back to old routines, just like we are. It would be better if we were fighting and training together, not staying divided over this," Ginevra added, trying not to grit her teeth. "What's happened has already happened and we need to get past it, not waste time and resources by dwelling on it."

"If you have nothing useful to say, then you can leave," Xavier snapped.

"Xavier, calm down," Agnes said, putting her hand on his. "Ginevra is allowed to an opinion, just as everyone else. You might not understand it now, Ginevra, but we need to focus on the past betrayal just as surely as the future. Once we know who or what was to blame, we can ensure it won't happen again later."

"We already know who was to blame: Virginia! You don't think she sat around doing nothing while we were working with the Veela, do you? She was constantly in and out of the mansion, who knows who or how many or what creatures she's enticed to fight for her?!"

"That is exactly the point; without knowing that information, we cannot predict the movements or fighting styles of Virginia and You-Know-Who's army. If we know she's got Kappas, we can organise a battlefield with mirrors on the ground to keep their heads lowered and weaken the creatures," Xavier explained.

"Can't we just assume she has every damn creature under the sun and get on with it?" Ginevra asked.

"And waste time and resources to fight creatures she may not even have under her thrall?!"

Feeling awkward at the hostility in the room, Pansy gave a brief nod to the three vampires and left. She asked a nearby vampire for directions to Leo, and went to find the manticore instead, feeling far better outside than she had in the awful tense atmosphere inside the mansion.

... b ...

Somewhere in Hungary

Lettie brushed off her robe and tried to calm her racing heart, feeling lightheaded as she stepped out of the rock portal. Travelling by the rock portals was so dissimilar to Apparating, flying, or even Flooing that she still hadn't transitioned to the sensation yet. Still, so long as she actually arrived at her destination, Lettie didn't truly mind about the lightheadedness. Her hand covered her stomach protectively, trying to reassure her child that all was well, even if the baby couldn't understand her yet.

As the liaison between all of the beings, Lettie was seeing more of the world now than she ever thought she would. Even when she was still Lavender and dreaming of travelling as soon as she had her Apparation license, she had never expected to be seeing so many varied places, and so far away from civilisation, or any places to shop.

The trail through the forest was almost non-existent, but Lettie knew that anything more obvious - say, a troll-flattened trail through the woods - would draw too much unwanted attention. Better that she walk it herself and leave unnoticeable footprints instead.

A chittering noise near her ear made Lettie look over to the source of the noise. She glared at Havoc, who had taken to following her around, and - more often than not - hitching a ride in her hair.

"You're meant to be with Niryal," she admonished the small fairy.

Havoc blew a raspberry at her and flew back into her hair.

"Fine, but if Niryal's upset to find you missing, you're going to be the one apologising to her this time," Lettie said sternly.

There was another raspberry noise and she winced on feeling the moisture on her skin. Though Lettie was tempted to wipe it off, she knew from experience that Havoc would probably bite her finger, so she left it and continued through the forest towards the trolls' camp. Her pace was faster than it had been since regrowing the bones in her legs, but she still wasn't as fast as she'd like. Taking in the scenery made the walk more enjoyable at the very least, and if she stopped to lean against a tree now and again, then that was nobody's business but her own.

Gregory met her at the edge of the troll's small village and led her up to where the others were waiting. Gregory glanced at Lettie as they walked, a small frown forming. "You realise you have a stowaway?" he asked.

Lettie nodded, trying not to dislodge Havoc from where the small fairy was sitting in her hair. "Havoc refuses to go back to Niryal. I just hope she won't be too upset with me."

"I sincerely doubt that; Havoc's on a mission, aren't you?" Gregory asked, grinning at the red creature.

Havoc made a chittering noise that Lettie took to be annoyance.

"A mission?" she queried.

"Mission: Keep Lettie Safe. Well, it's either that or Mission: Steal More Eyeballs. Perhaps both," Gregory added with a broader grin.

Lettie wasn't sure how she felt about her mini-bodyguard, but she didn't mind the company, at least. Havoc chittered something again that neither of them really understood, but he sounded somewhat excited about the prospect of getting another eyeball for his collection.

"How are things going with the others?" Gregory asked.

"Not the best; everyone's stressed and paranoid. The twins almost hexed me yesterday."

Gregory didn't know if she meant the Patil or Weasley twins, but didn't doubt that either would fit the bill; these days, even Padma was paranoid enough that she might've hexed Lettie.

"I almost wish we'd gone on fighting instead of retreating. I understand the decision to withdraw, but I also think the main battle would have been over by now."

"If we had continued, we'd probably be dead, Lettie," Greg reminded her gently.

She sighed and nodded. "I know. Please, just ignore me. I'm tired, sore from walking, and I swear the baby's trying to use all of my organs as a kick drum."

"It's kicking already?"

"Theodore says its growing faster than even he anticipated. Apparently, I'll be ready to give birth in less than five months."

"Wow."

"I'd like the war to be over by then, but with the way some of the others are deliberating, it's doubtful."

Havoc chittered something from behind Lettie's ear, flying out towards the buildings that could now be seen between the trees.

"Well, we might be able to encourage them to start sooner rather than later. Herlorr's come up with a few strategies that sound promising."

Lettie seemed to perk up at his news and she hurried the last metre to the trolls' main building as fast as she could. For the first time in weeks, Lettie was actually excited about her role.

... b ...

Ric was bored. He hadn't had a visitor in what felt like a lifetime, didn't know what was going on outside of these four walls, but despite that, he didn't dare voice his thoughts of boredom or even loneliness. If he did, Ric was certain that he would probably end up with those sadistic witches again.

Well, at least the Room provides good alcohol. Semi-good. Drinkable, he amended, glowering at the dusty bottle of sherry he'd found. Not his preferred taste, of course, but Ric was bored and lonely and increasingly desperate for company.

"I didn't say it out loud!" Ric yelled as the door opened.

"Who are you talking to?" Miles asked, frowning as he walked in.

Ric didn't reply. He was too busy staring at the apparition beside Miles. He looked from Miles to the apparition to the bottle of sherry, shocked and a little nauseous. Ric slowly lowered the bottle and set it on the floor (he'd learnt the hard way that the Room didn't like things being thrown, even if it made him feel an iota better). Then, since he was already close enough to the floor himself, Ric sat down as well and put his head in his hands.

"Whatever you think you're doing, Miles... Bringing her ghost into it? This is below the belt, especially for you," Ric said, looking up to glare at him.

"What exactly do you think I'm doing, Ric?" Miles asked.

"I don't know! Using her ghost as a way to get answers won't bloody work!" Ric yelled.

The apparition crossed the room and kneeled in front of Ric. He flinched back as she reached for him, expecting the cold feeling that accompanied ghosts, but instead he felt warmth. Her hands gripped his shoulders, tight and firm and real. Ric stared, speechless for a long moment, his eyes wide. If his heart was still beating, it would have beat out of his chest by now.

"Francesca? Is it really you?" he asked, his voice a whisper.

"It's really me, Mavie."

Ric laughed incredulously at the childhood nickname - one he hadn't heard since Francesca supposedly died almost a century ago - and pulled his sister in to hug her tightly. "How are you alive? Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you come to me? What happened, Chess?"

Francesca pulled away and glared at her brother, hitting his shoulder. "You've been in our mother's pocket for so long, you honestly think I'd go to you when she tried to kill me?"

"W-what?" Ric said, his mouth hanging open.

"You can't think our mother's not capable of killing family? The only reason she hasn't killed Father is because he helped secure her position on the Council."

Ric couldn't really argue that; Virginia had said as much on multiple occasions. He was fairly sure she was the reason his uncle had died, but he'd never really liked the man anyway, so Ric had never said anything about it. "But... why? She actually mourned your death. I saw her cry."

Francesca shrugged. "I was able to break the spell her beauty put on others, so she thought of me as a threat. That's all hindsight, of course. At the time, I thought she was crazy. Now, I know she's crazy, and she thought of me as a threat. She was jealous of my beauty."

Ric frowned and held his sister at an arm's length to look at her properly. "You still look ugly to me, Chess."

"I missed you too, you bastard."

... b ...

Ginevra, you have to come and hear this idiot.

Ginevra blinked as Pansy's sudden thought interrupted her continuing argument with Xavier and Agnes. She hadn't even realised that Pansy had left the room.

"Are you all right, Ginevra?" Agnes asked.

Ginevra sighed and resisted the urge to run her hands over her face in frustration. Instead, she bowed to both vampires and tried to keep her voice even and calm. "My apologies, my Lord and Lady, but as this is the fourth time I am trying to argue this point with you, I can see that anything I saw will not change your minds. I will take my leave of you."

She hardly waited for their response - Xavier seemed surprised at her words and sudden departure - but Ginevra was tired of repeating herself over and over, only for her words to fall on deaf ears. If they couldn't see that they were prolonging the war by separating everyone when they needed to fight together now more than ever, then there was no way she could change their minds. Besides, maybe a fifth argument would be more convincing if she gave them more time to think about her words.

Where exactly are you, Pansy? Ginevra asked, realising that Pansy could be anywhere in the mansion and she wasn't in the right frame of mind to find her without direction.

Out at the stables with Leo.

Ginevra smiled at the thought of seeing the manticore again. She hadn't had time to see him the last few times she had visited the mansion, and besides all that, she hadn't exactly been in a pleasant mood and didn't want to inflict her frustrations over a bad day (month, perhaps?) on Leo when he deserved a nicer visit than she could provide.

She walked outside and down to the stables, listening out for Pansy or whichever idiot she had been referring to.

"... he's just left here on his own and we're expected to feed him and look after him! He roams about wherever he damn pleases and then comes back covered in gods' know what! Let me tell you, the amount of time it takes to get him clean again is hardly worth the bother since he just goes off and gets dirty again!

"The person who left him here must be a right bastard, not even taking the time to visit him. Even before the war broke out, he barely had a visitor. If they were here right now, I'd give them a right talking to."

I swear this idiot must think I'm a vampire; he has no idea who he's talking to and he's all but insulting you in front of me and Leo. Leo's close to tearing him apart, I think. I'm close to letting him, Pansy added, sounding amused.

"Good afternoon, I've come to visit Leo," Ginevra said, rounding the corner and interrupting the vampire's complaints.

The vampire was obviously startled by her presence, then looked between Ginevra, Leo, and Pansy. "You're his owner?"

"Owner? Not at all; Leo is not a pet. He's a friend. How are you, Leo?"

"I would be far better had I not heard this creature insult you," Leo said, glaring at the vampire.

"Insult? I-I was sympathising!" the vampire stammered.

"No, you were complaining; loudly and far too high-pitched, at that," Pansy added, folding her arms across her chest. "Talking about people behind their backs is stupid, but to do it to people you don't even know is even stupider. I suggest you go back inside."

The vampire finally realised that Pansy was Ginevra's friend and Leo was one more word from tearing him to pieces. He paled a shade lighter, then turned and ran.

"Well, that was disappointing. How did it go with Agnes and Xavier?" Pansy asked, looking to Ginevra.

"Not as well as I'd hoped. Maybe the fifth argument might convince them this whole thing is ridiculous," she said, sighing and running a hand through her hair.

Pansy snorted at the impromptu hairstyle and undid Ginevra's messy hair to braid it deftly. "Do you honestly think they'll listen when they haven't the last four times?"

There was a long moment of silence and Ginevra sighed heavily. "No."

"It is rare for people to listen to others when they are certain they are right," Leo pointed out. "It is a failing of humans, whether mortals or vampires."

"Manticores aren't so stubborn to admit when they are wrong?" Ginevra asked.

"We do not have the same emotions as humans, and as such, the world is black and white. There are no shades of grey. If we are right, then we are right, and if we are not, then we accept this and move on. It is easy to understand when we are wrong because we have a solution to go forward. If you argue the past without providing an acceptable solution, then there is nothing to say whether it was wrong or right."

"Sounds like your manticore monthly meetings must be a blast," Pansy muttered sarcastically.

"We do not have meetings," Leo said, frowning at her in confusion.

"What would be your solution then, Leo?" Ginevra asked, curious.

"You have mentioned that the Lord and Lady do not listen to your reason, but I do not know the actual problem, my Queen," Leo replied.

"We're at war, and Virginia has sided with You-Know-Who. Virginia ensnared a third of our army for her side, and the leaders are worried that she might have enthralled other creatures and refuse to fight until we know more information."

As Ginevra spoke, Leo paled considerably. "Excuse me, my Queen. I must leave," he said, running out of the stable before anyone could reply.

"Uh, okay," Ginevra said, looking from Leo's retreating form to Pansy, who shrugged.

"I've got nothing. Can we go, or are you going to try for a fifth time?"

"I'm too tired to argue again tonight. Why don't you tell me about this island Luna found for you? I heard some mutterings about a turtle?"

Pansy brightened and started to talk about her and Gregory's new home, excited even though it was still in ruins.

They'd both agreed that it was weird purchasing a giant turtle, but decided they were paying for the ruins atop the turtle instead. Their decision only lessened the weirdness a little. There hadn't been much time to spend fixing it up, but Gregory had borrowed every book from the library regarding home improvement spells, and they were both doing what they could here and there between battles and strategic meetings and anything else they needed to do for the war.

When Pansy and Ginevra arrived back at the Apparation point almost fifteen minutes later, Pansy was surprised. She'd hardly noticed the walk there, and said as much.

Ginevra just grinned back at her knowingly and Apparated without a word.

... b ...

Thursday, 5 September

"How can we trust this information?" Fred asked, his arms crossed over his chest. Beside him, George was frowning in disbelief.

"We can't, but it's more than we've had for the past three weeks. I've threatened Ric with two things that I know will keep him in line: the Patil twins and losing his sister again."

"What if he actually hates his sister and is trying to get her killed?"

"He would've tried to kill her in the Room; I left them alone for ten minutes as a test. Besides, his expression definitely wasn't one of resentment or hate. I know people and what they want, and I can tell you that Ric doesn't want to lose his sister again," Miles said.

"Lettie, can you present the information to each of the groups?" Ginevra asked, looking to her friend.

"Yes, my Lady. I'm sure Lady Agnes and Lord Xavier will be more believing when they know the information has come from Miles," she said, hoping to sound reassuring.

"That may not be the case; my parents try not to be biased towards family in case there is talk of nepotism or favouritism," Miles said.

"Maybe don't tell them that it's from Miles then," George said, frowning.

"I will have to tell them the source of the information if they ask for it," Lettie said with a shrug. "But if we could get it verified by one more person, it might be enough to convince them."

"We'll do it," Parvati and Padma said, grinning.

"I said I wouldn't let either of you near Ric if the information was correct," Miles said, somewhat apologetic.

"We don't know that it's correct yet," Padma said pointedly.

"I'll verify it," Draco said.

"Are you sure?" Ginevra asked.

"You're not allowed to hurt him for the information," Miles added, a little worried about Ric's fate.

"If he tells me the same information he's told you, then there'll be no need to hurt him," Draco said. "Perhaps if we keep Francesca in the room, he might be more obliging without coercion."

Miles nodded. "Probably. You should probably meet her as well, anyway."

"All right, let's go now. The sooner we can verify the information, the sooner this bloody war can be over and done with." Draco left for the lounge room, Miles and the others following and almost barrelling into Draco when he stopped short in the doorway. "What are you lot doing?"

The students stepped away from the fireplace and Floo powder, looking guilty, but for the most part, they simply looked defiant.

"We're going to Diagon Alley. The Death Eaters are due to hit there again this week, and we've got a few traps to set up."

"What do you mean, they're due there?" Millicent asked with a snarl, thinking they had some insider information that they hadn't shared.

The witch paled at Millicent's growl, but stepped forward. "The Death Eaters have a pattern to their attacks; you're right that they're looking for something - or someone - but they seem to have a general idea of where it or they might be, so they keep returning to the same areas, even though they're attacking different places."

"Pansy, do you have a map?" Ginevra asked.

"Of course she does," Fred said, grinning and stepping back to allow Pansy to step forward.

Pansy rolled her eyes at him and flicked her wand, a map of the wizarding world appearing. Tens of green dots appeared, marks of where Death Eaters had attacked since the war started.

"It's a right mess," Seamus muttered, shaking his head.

"If you look at it all at once, then yeah," the witch agreed. "But if you go week by week, then it shows a different story," she added.

Pansy concentrated for a moment, altering her spell. The first green dot appeared at Hogwarts, then the next at a shop in Diagon Alley. A forest in Romania, then a pub in Ireland, and then the attack in Banchory, another attack in Wales, and then back again to a raid in Diagon Alley, just further down at Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. The pattern continued, though usually the spot after Diagon Alley was taken by a random place or country.

"Must've been hungry," Fred snickered.

Parvati rolled her eyes at him and Padma elbowed him in the ribs to stop his snickering.

"How did we miss this?" Ginevra asked, looking to the others.

"We've been so busy trying to defend against the Death Eaters that we haven't actually stopped to look at the attacks individually. We've just been going with the bigger picture. Shit," Draco cursed, running a hand through his hair.

"We had lessons on strategy with the centaurs at Hogwarts," Sally-Anne explained when they looked to her friend questioningly.

"Pans, bring up Diagon Alley so we can see what's left that they haven't attacked yet," Ginevra said.

Pansy did as she said, and they could all see the various attacks - five so far - that the Death Eaters had made against the alleyway.

"What are they searching for? What did they attack first?" Theo asked.

"They hit Ollivander's wand shop first," Sally-Anne's friend replied.

"Shit. Pansy, I need that map in private," Ginevra said.

"Seriously? You're still not going to tell us where he is?" Draco asked.

"You know where Ollivander is?" the witch asked in surprise.

"Yes, seriously, Draco, and I'm not answering that when I don't even know your name," Ginevra said, failing to remember the younger witch's name from when they might have trained together.

"It's Daisy," she called as Ginevra practically dragged Pansy out of the room. "Uh. So, can we go to Diagon Alley with your permission or do we need to hex you and then go?"

"Daisy!" Sally-Anne hissed, looking scandalised. Daisy just shrugged in response.

Draco grinned a little. "Save your energy. Go, but be careful. Come straight back here if you need help," he added.

Daisy grinned and nodded. "Sure thing. See you later," Daisy said, Flooing to Diagon Alley. Sally-Anne and her friends followed after her, already armed with swords and wands.

"We didn't mean to create a renegade army, did we?" Fred asked George, who shook his head solemnly.

"They're growing up so fast," he sniffed, wiping a way an imaginary tear.

Millicent rolled her eyes. "I'll stay with Theo. They're probably going to need a healer or two when they get back."

"Thanks, Mill," Theo said, smiling at her.

"All right, we're fine. Let's go before they get closer than they already have," Pansy said, hardly waiting for the others to process her words before she was Flooing to Hogwarts.

Draco followed after her, both twins going as well.

"I'll wait here. You're staying too?" Ginevra asked Millicent.

"Yeah; Daisy and her friends have gone off to be big damn heroes, and I'm volunteering to heal the big damn heroes when they get back," she replied, grinning.

"Can I help with that too, Theo?"

"Have you healed from your injuries yet?" Theo asked pointedly.

Ginevra touched her side where her scar was still healing. "Fine, I'll get things for you two instead."

"Or you could rest and not over exert yourself," Theo muttered, looking up to the ceiling with a put upon sigh.

"Afterwards," Ginevra promised.

"If you don't, I'm bloody binding you to your bed," Theo said with a glare.

"All right, I think she gets it now, love," Millicent said, kissing him and leading him outside.

Ginevra grinned a little but took a moment to sit on the couch and relax. Theo was right: she hadn't recovered from the Death Eater attack at Banchory yet and she still ached and twinged with pain every now and again. Still, she felt helpless and useless, sitting about with nothing to do while others were risking their lives, being hurt or used as pawns in Virginia's war game. It made her restless, wanting to do something, for the war to be over sooner rather than later.

"A bit narcissistic to think that the war rests solely with you," Ginevra muttered to herself, sighing heavily.

She knew that it didn't, of course. Although Virginia was her ancestor, the war was being fought by more than the one Vampiress, and the war would continue whether or not Ginevra fought as well. She just truly hoped that the war wouldn't take her friends as its casualties. She hated that Vincent had been lost already, far too young to die, especially for something so stupid as a war. Ginevra let out another sigh again, tried to calm her restlessness, and closed her eyes to rest for a moment.

...

Friday, 6 September

"Tell me again what that bitch said about me," Niryal said, flying overhead as Blaise, Neville, and Seamus ran on the ground below.

"It weren't about you specifically," Seamus replied, though he traded a sly grin with Blaise.

"That bitch insulted fairies, so she's bloody well made it about me!" Niryal snapped.

"Virginia said that fairies were weak and small creatures that were too pitiful and easily distracted to be useful to her in a war," Blaise replied.

"Would you two stop riling Niryal up?" Neville muttered.

"Hell no, love. It's far too much fun," Seamus said with a snicker.

Overhead, Niryal continued her low mutterings, threatening and detailing everything her fairies would do to the red-headed Vampiress bitch for insulting her in this way.

"Are ye sure the Kappas are out this way?" Seamus asked.

"The lake's up ahead," Blaise said with a nod.

Lake Khövsgöl in Mongolia was a well-known habitat for Kappas. It was also well-known in the wizarding world due to the amount of protection charms that surrounded the lake so that Muggles could still visit the lake as well. There were charms to ensure the water stayed clean and hospitable for the Kappas, while other charms ensured that the Muggles wouldn't be lured away by the Kappas while visiting the lake.

"Ready?" Neville asked, arming himself.

"Ready," Blaise and Seamus agreed with nods.

They came upon the lake a moment later, stopping short as they saw the clear expanse of water for themselves. It was breathtaking and, for a moment, they completely forgot about their mission.

"Oi! Hurry the fuck up," Niryal called, rolling her eyes at their reaction. It was just a big puddle, for fuck's sakes.

"Right," Neville said, heading towards the lake and without hesitating, waded straight into the cold water. Blaise and Seamus followed.

They were surrounded almost immediately, webbed hands and scales visible in the water around them. Neville resisted the urge to bow and instead held out his hands, several cucumbers held in them as a gift for the creatures below the water. Their backs to him so they each faced outwards at different points, Blaise and Seamus held out their fistfuls of cucumbers as well. The water went still.

"What's goin' on?" Seamus muttered, wondering if the Kappas were going to strangle and drink their blood after all. "Did we get the wrong cucumbers? Should we've gone with cucumber sandwiches instead?" he asked when there was no response from his lovers or the Kappas in the water below them.

"Irish, breathe and calm down. Just wait," Blaise said calmly. He wanted to move back to put a hand on Seamus' shoulder to reassure him, but he didn't dare move.

Another long minute passed, Niryal swooping and soaring overhead lazily, obviously unaffected by the nerves of the three wizards in the water. Then, just as Neville was ready to admit defeat, there was a ripple in the water ahead of him. He was facing the length of the lake and at first the ripple was only small, but as it neared him, Neville could see that it was increasing to a large wave.

"Nev?" Blaise asked, sounding worried and wanting to get the hell out of the lake before they were sucked dry.

Neville wanted to bolt or scream or hide, as useless as the idea was while standing in a clear lake, but he shook his head minutely instead. "It's all right. Stay where you are."

"Shit!" Seamus cursed, seeing the wave approaching out of the corner of his eye.

"You heard Nev: stay put."

With every ounce of his Gryffindor courage in place, Seamus stayed standing where he was, his arms outstretched with the cucumbers still held aloft.

Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, the mantra repeated in his head anyway.

We'll be all right. Breathe, Irish, Neville said, sounding calmer than he felt.

The wave slowed down until the ripple was all that remained. With less than a metre to go, the ripple stopped completely, and a Kappa burst out of the water. Scaly and looking like an underwater version of a monkey, the Kappa had a dip in its head that was full of water. It chittered something at Neville and then greedily snatched a cucumber out of his hands. In its webbed fingers, the Kappa turned the cucumber around a few times, inspecting it in a way similar to its ape-like land cousins, then chittered something again, obviously confused.

"Niryal, could you please translate?" Neville asked.

"Sure. It's bloody confused. You didn't inscribe your name on the cucumber like you're meant to, so you've left yourself open to attack," Niryal said, swopping down to sit on Neville's head.

Niryal wasn't small or light enough to do this effectively, and Neville felt his shoes sinking deeper into the bottom of the lake.

"We are hoping to talk with your leader about the upcoming war," Neville said. "The cucumbers are a gift and a show of good faith that you will not attack us."

Niryal translated, the Kappa frowning as it looked between the dark fairy and Neville. The Kappa chittered something under its breath and then went beneath the surface once more.

"Me arm's killing me, can I lower it yet?" Seamus muttered.

"Wait a little longer if you can," Neville said.

"You've held swords for longer than this," Blaise added.

"Not four at one time," Seamus replied.

The Kappa rose to the surface again, the cucumber still in its hands. It looked to Niryal and chittered something, high pitched and obviously meaningful.

Niryal snorted. "It wants to know if they can keep the cucumbers, even if they don't want to talk."

"Of course," Neville said with a nod, again, careful not to bow.

Niryal relayed his answer and the Kappa rose out of the water to snatch the rest of the cucumbers from Neville's outstretched hands. Around them, two more Kappas rose up out of the water to grab the cucumbers from Blaise and Seamus as well.

"Thank Merlin," Seamus muttered, gratefully lowering his arms.

Neville sighed heavily when the Kappas disappeared and the water went still around them. Well, at least they hadn't immediately attacked them.

"I'd really like to get out of the Kappa-infested lake sooner rather than later," Blaise said.

"What a waste o' half a day," Seamus muttered, awkwardly wading back towards the edge of the lake.

"Just be grateful they didn't kill us," Blaise said, taking Seamus' hand in his own. "Coming, Nev?" he asked, realising that Neville hadn't moved yet.

"Yeah. I really thought they'd at least talk to us," he said with a heavy sigh. "Niryal, would you mind getting off my head now, please?"

"Nah, I'm good."

Neville rolled his eyes and moved to leave the lake, the extra weight on his head stirring up the sand beneath his feet.

"Let's hope the others are having better luck," Blaise said. "Niryal, get off Neville, you look ridiculous," he added, waving at her.

Niryal snorted. "You always look ridiculous, but I don't say a bloody thing, do I?"

Seamus turned around to look at them, but then his eyes widened. "Nev, run!" he yelled, wading back towards Neville to try to get him out of the lake himself.

"Shit," Blaise cursed, seeing the oncoming wave behind Neville. "C'mon, run! Niryal, get off him!"

Niryal looked behind them to see a horde of Kappa coming up out of the water, their hands outstretched towards her, towards her Master. "Fuck that with a cactus." She gripped Neville's shoulders and pulled him up as hard and fast as she possibly could, his feet coming out of the sand with a squelch. Niryal was just fast enough, the Kappa's fingers a mere millimetre short of Neville's feet.

Neville looked down to see Blaise and Seamus scrambling to get out of the water. "Niryal, please help them!"

Niryal sent her fairies out after them, fast slashes of blue, pink, green, and purple flying down to the lake at breakneck speed. Disorder was a purple blur, diving at the nearest Kappa and scratching along its scales. The scales were too hard to make much of a dent, and Disorder told the others so they wouldn't waste time with the same attack. Mayhem let out a battle cry and dived straight down into the water, grabbing onto a nearby Kappa's gills with fierce blue fingers, tearing at the slits in its throat. Mischief was a green bullet in the water, hunting for an eye to add to Havoc's collection, while Turmoil had taken to jumping in a big pink arc on top of the Kappas heads to empty out the water stored there, weakening them and making them retreat.

The small fairies provided enough of a distraction for Blaise and Seamus to get out of the water and a few metres away from the edge of the lake itself before they stopped and looked back.

"I hope ye choke on the cucumbers, ye scaly bastards!" Seamus yelled at them.

Niryal let out a shrill whistle to get her shadow fairies to return to her, a job well done. Then, just for the fun of it and because she was pissed at the Kappas for attacking them as well, she translated Seamus' insult into the Kappa's dialect. There was a lot of angry chittering in return, though by that time, most of the Kappas had retreated under the onslaught of her fairies.

"Yeah, fuck you too, you slimy monkeys," Niryal muttered, flying past the lake to set Neville down beside his boyfriends. "Oh hey, Mischief got an eyeball."

"I don't want to see it," Neville groaned, rubbing his sore shoulders from Niryal's tight grip. "Havoc keeps wearing the other eyeball around like a party hat, that's bad enough."

Seamus snickered. "It's bloody hilarious, is what it is. Ye okay, love?" he asked, looking Neville over with a critical eye.

"I'll be all right; Niryal got me out safely. I honestly thought the cucumbers would help. Next time, I'm definitely writing my name on it," Neville muttered.

"There won't be a next time," Blaise said fiercely beside him, anger practically radiating from his body.

"Uh, what're ye doing?" Seamus asked, seeing that Blaise had his wand out and pointed at the lake. "Ye cannae reach 'em from 'ere."

"I know. I'm adding another charm to the lake," Blaise replied. "They want to attack people in it, then fine, this is the only place they'll ever be able to attack anyone ever again."

"Can ye do that? What 'bout the Ministry?" Seamus asked. "Ain't they already got charms on there ter stop the Kappa eating tourists?"

"They won't notice another charm with the amount that's already on here, and yes, the Muggles will continue to be safe," Blaise added.

"Starving them to death isn't right, Blaise. Don't do it, they're just hungry," Neville said. "You saw how fast those three grabbed the cucumbers; what's to say we wouldn't do the same if we were presented with our preferred meal right in front of us?"

"I like steak, but I ain't gonna attack a cow," Seamus replied pointedly.

Neville sighed and shook his head, putting a hand on Blaise's forearm. "I'm all right, love. If anything, they've come off worse than us. We're a little damp and scared, whereas one of the Kappa lost an eye for trying to get something to eat," he said, a little wryly.

Blaise slowly lowered his wand, the charm not finished, and his jaw clenched. "You're too nice, love," he muttered, pulling Neville in close to hug him tight and reassure himself that Neville really was all right.

Neville smiled against the curve of Blaise's neck and pressed a gentle kiss there. "I love you, too."

When his lovers started back towards the Apparation point, Neville turned back to the lake. His thumbs glowed green for a moment, and on the small patch of land further into the lake, he coerced a cucumber tree to start growing. It wasn't something the Kappa deserved, but Neville hoped that it would stop them from attacking other innocent witches and wizards in the future.

Only Niryal saw what her Master had done and she shook her head at the sight. Blaise was right: Neville was too bloody nice.

...

Ginevra and Draco swam along with Pansy and Cimroan the hippocampus. Lettie had presented Ric's information to all of the sides, as well as the new tactics and strategies that Gregory and Herlorr had designed for training. The information was what had finally made Xavier and Agnes agree for Ginevra to go to the mermaids, and the trolls' new strategies was had convinced the sides to a cautious agreement to work together again.

Garion and Jules had agreed for Draco to accompany Pansy and Ginevra to visit the Grand Royal Hyler to request the merpeople's presence and aid in the war. The werewolves and trolls had hurriedly agreed not to go, not fond of the idea of being underwater for so long, though Gregory had agreed to meet Pansy at their new island home afterwards. Pansy seemed just as excited about showing Draco and Ginevra her new home as she did about them finally seeing her grandfather.

Fair warning: Grandfather's probably still going to be upset with you for not visiting sooner, Pansy said as they swam through the water.

We've been trying to get permission for weeks to see the merpeople, Draco replied.

Yes, but that was after other creatures. Grandfather thinks you should have asked him first.

What use would merpeople have in a war fought inland? Surely he has to understand that the trolls and werewolves make more sense, at least strategically.

If you think that, then why are you asking him now? Pansy asked, a little miffed on her people's behalf.

Because it's highly likely that Virginia's enthralling water-based creatures that can reside on both on land and in water.

That's not the only reason: if we have the support of the merpeople then we can organise battles around lakes or streams or even the ocean itself, Ginevra added.

You'd better think of a better argument than that for Grandfather. I understand where you're coming from, but it sounds like you're trying to use merpeople as a distraction. Grandfather is a proud being and will not allow his people to become spell fodder for your war, Pansy said. Neither will I, for that matter.

You know we wouldn't do that, Pans, Draco said.

Yes, I do. But you're here on your species' behalf, not by yourselves, Pansy replied. They might not have the same reservations as you.

Neither Draco nor Ginevra had a response to that and they continued on silently, thinking about Pansy's words. They just hoped that Hyler could be convinced to help them in the war ahead, even if they had to promise the safety of his people personally.

...

Daisy limped towards the hospital wing, trying not to draw too much attention to herself. The blood she'd trailed along the hallway just the day before was gone now, everything as white and pure and pristine as ever. Except for her leg, of course. One of the Death Eaters had been on the lookout, considering the recent attacks, and as she'd been at the front of their group, Daisy had taken the hit. She grinned a little at the memory of Sally-Anne charging forward, wand blazing and practically tearing the Death Eater apart in retaliation.

Daisy's leg twisted and she hissed in pain, glaring down at her limb. "Don't you dare do this to me. Walk straight, you bastard."

"You'd be walking straighter if you rested like I told you to do. You shouldn't be out of bed," Theo said behind her, making Daisy spin around far too fast for her weakened leg. Theo caught her before she fell and straightened her properly. "What's so important to get you up and walking two days before you finished your Skele-grow dosage?"

Daisy lifted her chin defiantly. "I wanted to see how Sally-Anne was doing. We don't have that mind-reading thing you and your friends do."

Theo conceded with a nod. "You could have called; Millicent or I would have helped you get there. Or brought you a mirror so you could talk to her instead of leaving your bed," he added pointedly.

"It's not the same thing," Daisy muttered.

"I suppose not. Come on, the sooner you get there, the sooner you can rest," he said, pointing his wand at her.

Daisy stiffened imperceptibly, but then registered his words. "Leviosa?" she clarified.

Theo nodded. "I've lots of practice with people and beings, no need to worry," he added.

Daisy tried to make herself relax, but her leg throbbing in pain didn't really help. She nodded anyway and watched as Theo did the spell. She breathed in deeply so she wouldn't windmill her arms about and focused on the door down the hall instead.

"Sally-Anne, you've got a visitor. Please try to convince her to stay in bed while her leg bones regrow," Theo said, setting Daisy down on the bed next to Sally-Anne. "You're lucky you made it that far without the bones shattering, you know," he added.

"What did you do that for?" Sally-Anne asked Daisy, her eyes wide.

"Wanted to see you," Daisy replied with a shrug.

"You could've asked for a mirror like I did," Sally-Anne replied.

"Yes, well, I didn't think of that, now did I?"

Millicent walked into the room with a hand-held mirror. "I can't find... Daisy, what are you doing here? I've been looking all over for you!"

"She decided to take the scenic route to get here," Theo replied when Daisy blushed and didn't answer.

"Bloody hell. Did you hurt yourself?" Millicent asked, setting the mirror on the table at the end of the bed and moving to check Daisy's leg. "More swelling than there should be. Elevation, right?" she asked Theo, looking over to him.

He nodded proudly. "Very good. Magic or Muggle?"

"It's not major, so a few pillows stacked and held up should do it," Millicent mused.

"If the swelling hasn't gone down in an hour, we'll have to try the Muggle way."

Daisy looked horrified. "You're not putting leeches on me."

"What? Merlin, no! I was referring to a sling and stand to keep your foot held up. It's quite safe, no leeches," Theo promised, looking amused.

"Oh, sod off. I haven't started Muggle Studies, and keeping up-to-date on Muggle medicine hasn't really been high on my to-do list," Daisy muttered, watching as Millicent organised a few fluffy pillows and Theodore gently lifted her leg onto it.

"That's a shame, it's a fascinating subject. They've done so much without magic; did you know - "

"Uh, Theo? You might want to stop before you traumatise them. What you think is fascinating is sometimes really not," Millicent said, patting his shoulder and grinning.

Theo rolled his eyes but stayed silent, fixing the pillows with a Sticking Charm and ensuring that both Daisy and Sally-Anne were all right before leaving with Millicent a moment later.

"I was just going to mention X-rays," Daisy heard Theo tell Millicent as they left. She looked over at Sally-Anne and grinned.

"You could've broken your leg again walking around on it so soon," Sally-Anne said.

"Yeah, well, you could've died going up against that Death Eater alone," Daisy retorted. "I was more terrified about you being hurt than my leg," she admitted. "Mind you, I think that Death Eater was more terrified of you than we were of him," she added, laughing.

Sally-Anne shrugged and played with a frayed bit of her blanket. "He hurt you."

"I can regrow a broken bone, you can't come back to life. Well, not without some serious soul-damaging stuff, at least," Daisy amended.

Sally-Anne looked sombre, but she nodded. "I'll try not to die."

"Worst promise ever," Daisy snickered. "If you don't die, then I won't die, okay?"

"Worst suicide pact ever," Sally-Anne quipped, grinning.

Daisy laughed so hard she almost fell off the bed.

...

"Donae be upset, love. We didnae die despite the bastards' best efforts," Seamus said, tugging Neville close and kissing his forehead and cheeks.

Blaise crowded up behind Neville, wrapping his arms around both of them. "We did our best; we can't get everyone on our side. Although, the next time someone tries to kill us, I'm refusing to listen to reason, and I'm killing them right back," he muttered, pressing kisses along Neville's neck and the curve of his shoulder.

"They were hungry, Blaise. You know how you get when you haven't eaten," Neville said.

"I still wouldn't kill someone over a cucumber," Blaise said, Seamus snorting in amusement.

"Come on, love, cheer up. We'll have better luck with the dragons," Seamus said, knowing that Colin and Luna were already talking with the dragons and it wouldn't take much for them to agree. Neville was usually much more adept at persuading creatures to fight alongside them rather than against them.

Neville tried to smile, to just be thankful that they were alive. He kissed Seamus, taking Blaise's hand in his own and threading their fingers together. Blaise held onto Seamus' waist and was in the process of sucking a lovely mark onto the curve of Neville's shoulder when Niryal knocked on the door loudly. "We're busy!" he called out, impatient and annoyed.

Niryal snorted derisively. "Stop fucking already; you've got visitors."

Seamus pulled away from Neville with a frown. "We're in the middle of bloody nowhere; how've we got visitors?" Neville looked a little too dazed to answer the question and Seamus grinned, kissing him once more. "Ye look lovely, love," he murmured, stroking his kiss-swollen lips with the pad of his thumb, Neville smiling broadly against his thumb.

Niryal knocked again, obstinate now. "Small talk doesn't bloody work when they refuse to friggin' talk to me!"

"Come on, let's see what's going on," Blaise said, not looking at all happy.

Neville sighed. "Who is it?"

"You can come see for yourselves; if I tell you, you won't bloody leave," Niryal muttered, flying down the small hallway to the combined living room, dining room, and kitchenette.

"Next time we traipse around the world looking for creatures to fight in a war with us, I'm the one booking the accommodation," Blaise said.

"We're trying to be inconspicuous, Blaise," Neville reminded him, pulling his shirt back on over his head.

Seamus snorted. "Oh, aye. We're in a shack in Merlin knows where, and we're prob'ly gonna die at the hands of these so-called visitors. That's 'bout as inconspicuous as ye can get," he said.

Neville straightened his shirt and adjusted his trousers, then opened the bedroom door. "At least the warming charms work."

Blaise nudged Seamus sharply before he could say anything - they both thought the warming charms were the only things holding the shack up - and grabbed his hand, following Neville out of the room.

Neville stopped short at the end of the hallway and had his wand raised before Blaise or Seamus could even see what was going on. Blaise stood high up on his toes to look over Neville's shoulder, while Seamus ducked to look under Neville's arm.

"What are you doing here?" Neville asked, refusing to move or let Blaise or Seamus past.

The small group of Kappas were huddled together by the door, looking wet and miserable - it was storming outside and the cold rain was far different to their calm lake - and one had a leaf patched over their missing eye. The Kappa leader looked up at Neville and chittered something.

Niryal was sitting on the table, watching the Kappas with her four fairies hovering around her and glowering at the creatures that had hurt both Niryal and her Master. Mischief was throwing the Kappa's eyeball in a menacing manner. At the Kappa's noise, Niryal frowned and looked over to Neville, Seamus, and Blaise. "They came to apologise."

Neville didn't lower his wand. "Then apologise."

Niryal translated and the Kappa leader chittered something again. "They're very sorry for attacking you; they were very hungry and you were fresh food that walked into their home without protection."

The Kappa leader continued quickly when Neville glared and his grip tightened on his wand.

"They talked about your proposal once they'd actually eaten and weren't hungry or angry anymore. They'd like to join the fight."

"What?" Seamus said, eyes wide.

"Seriously?" Blaise added, suspicious and surprised.

The Kappa chittered again. Niryal snorted and chittered something in return, her hand motions and expression showing her doubt. The Kappa straightened, looking affronted, and chittered again, almost indignantly. "They're very grateful for the gift of the cucumber tree, especially after they attacked you. It was a kindness they didn't expect nor deserve. After their previous interaction with wizards, they think that you three are the best of the worst."

"Um... Thanks?" Seamus said.

"What happened last time?" Neville asked. He still hadn't lowered his wand, not daring to let his guard down again, especially when Seamus and Blaise had walked out of the bedroom sans wands.

Niryal translated Neville's question. The Kappa looked from the dark fairy to Neville, and answered, his chittering noise sounding sad.

"They were Ministry officials and they didn't allow the Kappa's mate to return to the water before putting the wards on the lake. They also used so many wards and so much magic that the cucumber tree died within a month."

"But those wards have been up for years," Neville said.

"They were seriously hungry," Niryal said with a brief nod.

The Kappa leader stepped forward from the rest of the group and chittered something again. To Neville, it was a hesitant sound, almost as though they already expected a negative answer. He looked to Niryal.

"They'd like their friend's eyeball back. Please," Niryal translated.

"Oh, right. Of course. Sorry, Mischief," Neville added when the shadow fairy muttered in disappointment. "Offer if they'd like me to heal them. I don't have Theo's skill, but I should be able to heal a detached eyeball. I've healed Trevor before."

Niryal chittered and the Kappa leader nodded carefully, not wanting to tip the water out of the depression in their head. "They said yes, please and thank you."

"Right. Irish, I need two bowls, one filled with water to clean the eyeball. Blaise, wet some towels with warm water so our guests can warm up without drying out, please."

"You'll be all right, love?" Blaise asked.

Neville lowered his wand and nodded. "They won't attack me. And if they do, then all of the shadow fairies will get their own eyeball collection."

"Bloody hell, love. Ye're sexy when ye're terrifying," Seamus said, kissing Neville's cheek before slipping past to get the bowls.

Blaise squeezed Neville's hand gently before going to get as many towels as the tiny shack held, along with his and Seamus' wands.

"What's the second bowl fer?" Seamus asked, setting both on the table when he was done.

"To keep the water in the Kappa's head. I doubt weakening the Kappa will help the healing process. Niryal, can you let them know what I want to do, please?"

"So, basically, the bowl is a hat?" Niryal said, tilting her head as she looked from the empty bowl and then over to the Kappa.

"Basically. Hopefully it works. Maybe a plate would be better," Neville mused.

Niryal translated for the Kappas, demonstrating with the bowl over her own head since there was no word in Kappese for hat. The Kappa leader frowned and chittered curiously, taking cautious steps towards the table and the empty bowl. It snatched the bowl from the table and put it on its own head, bowing carefully. Straightening up almost immediately, the Kappa looked dizzy, but not completely weakened. The Kappa chittered to Niryal, who flew from the table to the cupboard, returning with a plate and offering it to the Kappa leader.

Tugging the bowl off its head, the Kappa set it down on the floor carefully, then put the plate on its head. A soft suctioning noise could be heard as the plate stuck on the rim of the Kappa's head depression. Taking a deep breath to steady its nerves, the Kappa bowed again, still shallow and straightening up almost immediately again. Not dizzy this time, the Kappa chittered and touched the plate gently, frowning.

One of the other Kappas realised what their leader was about to do, chittering urgently. The Kappa leader chittered in return, glancing up to Neville to ensure that he wouldn't attack while they were potentially weakened. The Kappa took another deep breath and bowed completely to the wall, their forehead almost touching their knees. The plate stayed in place and not a drop of water was spilled. The Kappa straightened slowly, eyes wide with surprise and relief.

"Holy shit. I dinnae think that'd work," Seamus breathed.

"Neither did I," Neville admitted softly. "Don't translate that, Niryal."

She snorted. "Didn't hear a friggin' thing. Um... Are they dancing?"

Neville and Seamus looked to the Kappas who were all waving their arms around in a fluid motion, looking excited as their leader bowed several times in a row without falling over. The Kappa leader stopped dancing and chittered something to Niryal.

"They want all of the plates."

Blaise returned with a bundle of warm and damp towels, and was surprised to see the Kappas with plates on their heads all bowing over and over. "Are they drunk?"

"Yeah, on happiness," Seamus snorted.

"Niryal, tell them that they're going to get dizzy, and I need to heal the wounded Kappa, please," Neville said, washing the eyeball that Mischief had reluctantly handed over.

Niryal translated, snickering when the Kappas straightened up, looking a little dizzy. The wounded Kappa was brought over to the table. Neville wrapped it in a damp towel, hoping to warm the small creature rather than dry it completely, and Blaise handed the towels out to the other Kappas as well. They chittered happily on realising that the towels were warm and wet, and were soon bundled up and watching their friend anxiously. The leaf bandage had been removed, and the Kappa was lying down, looking nervous.

Neville flicked his wand to levitate the eyeball out of the bowl, dried it off with another spell, and then gently coaxed the eyeball to the Kappa's head. Reattaching the retina was the careful and precise part, but it was over in a few seconds, and Neville gently pressed the Kappa's eyeball back into its socket. A small pop sounded, the Kappa blinking several times to moisten their eyeball again. Lifting a webbed hand above their head, the Kappa closed their good eye and then flicked their third eyelid over to ensure that everything was all right. Sighing in relief, the Kappa chittered to the leader, who chittered back quickly.

"They're all right," Niryal said.

Neville's attention was redirected by the Kappa leader tugging on his trousers to get his attention. When the Kappa saw that Neville was looking at them, they bowed low, chittering. Behind them, the rest of the Kappa group bowed as well, chittering the same words and noises. In this instance, Neville didn't need Niryal to translate. "You're very welcome," he said with a warm smile.

... b ...

Ginevra let her tail return to two legs, her whole body trembling as she crawled out of the water. Beside her, Draco flopped onto his back in the shallow water, his legs still covered in scales. The tide washed up against them, almost dragging Draco back into the water completely before Ginevra grabbed his hand.

"You look as exhausted as I feel," she said.

Draco turned his head, opened an eye and looked at Ginevra. "You look as exhausted as I feel, too," he muttered.

"Oh, get up, both of you. You're acting as though you spent weeks in the water. It was a day, if that," Pansy said, standing over them.

"Mentally exhausted. Your grandfather can argue like nobody's business," Ginevra said.

Pansy smirked. "Where do you think I get it from?"

Ginevra groaned as she forced herself to sit up, her legs and arms and torso and everything aching. Similar to sharks with gills, they needed after staying in constant motion the whole time they were underwater, and Ginevra's body wasn't used to constant motion above water, let alone below it. Draco made a noise that sounded like he was dying a slow and painful death as he sat up beside her.

Pansy rolled her eyes at both of them. "Hurry up before the turtle starts moving and you get left behind," she said, walking up the scaly rocks.

Ginevra and Draco helped each other up, the last of Draco's scales disappearing as they walked after Pansy.

Neville convinced the Kappas to join with us, Blaise said in their minds.

I thought they attacked you earlier? Colin asked, surprised.

They were just hangry, Seamus replied.

Hangry? Millicent echoed in confusion.

Hungry and angry, Neville informed them.

I know the feeling, Fred snickered.

Good work. Ginevra and I convinced the merpeople, with a few conditions, Draco added.

We've personally taken responsibility for the deaths of any merpeople as a result of the war, Ginevra added before anyone could ask.

What do you mean by that, my Lady? Lettie asked, frowning.

That doesn't make any sense, Padma agreed.

Hades and Persephone will, within reason, return the souls of any deceased merpeople, Ginevra said.

Basically, making sure their bodies aren't fish food before returning the souls, Draco added.

Can they do that for us too? Parvati asked, curious more than anything.

No. This is a one-time deal, and we're really hoping that the merpeople don't die. It's an extremely involved process to return a soul from the Underworld, apparently.

Why? Sing nice enough and Persephone'll let you out, George said.

Myth, Ginevra replied.

You mean I took singing lessons for nothing?!

The way you sing, they'd kick you out of the Underworld to make you stop.

That was cruel, Fred. Unnecessarily cruel.

Ignoring her brothers' banter, Ginevra concentrated on Lettie for a moment. Have you seen Leo? He left the mansion and I haven't heard from him since.

No, my Lady. He wasn't there when I presented Miles' information to Lord Xavier and Lady Agnes. Miles might know where he's gone, would you like me to check?

When you have a moment, please. I'm worried that he left so suddenly and without any sort of explanation.

I'm sure he'll be all right, my Lady. Leo is very good at taking care of himself, Lettie replied.

I hope you're right, Ginevra replied.

"All right, love?" Draco asked, looking to Ginevra.

Realising that she'd fallen back, Ginevra nodded. "Almost there?" she asked.

"Just over the hill, apparently. Pansy's excited to see what Greg's done in her absence. I'm just hoping the roof is repaired and at least one room has all four walls," Draco admitted with a grin.

"I think that can be arranged," Pansy said from up ahead, awe in her voice.

Ginevra and Draco looked to each other and hurried to catch up, standing next to Pansy, hand in hand. Their eyes widened and mouths dropped open in shock. A mansion stood before them, the front bricks and roof completely repaired, and even several windows had been installed.

Greg, how much work did you do?! Pansy asked incredulously.

I found a few spells to help with the process. In hindsight, I think that the book was written by the witch who made Hogwarts, so... it might be more sentient than the usual mansion, Greg admitted with a slight wince.

How sentient? Parvati asked, most of their friends echoing her question.

Self-repairing at the very least, and five Room of Requirements at the most. I found two before I left last week, Greg said.

Five?! Merlin's beard, Greg. It took ten witches and wizards to create one Room at Hogwarts! George said in surprise.

It's a mansion built on the back of a turtle who's Merlin knows how old; there's more magic there than twenty witches and wizards could have over a lifetime. Maybe just... stay in the rooms that are already built, and leave the mansion to do the rest? Greg suggested.

"I call for the one with the window," Draco said, Ginevra laughing beside him.

"Fine. I'll have the room with food and a fireplace," Pansy said, smirking.

"Come on, I want to see," Ginevra said, hurrying down the path, tugging Draco along with her.

Pansy looked at the mansion one more time before following after her friends, amazed at how much work Greg had done to build their home.

Love you, Greg, she said, private and quiet.

Greg smiled softly at the warmth and love he could feel from Pansy's mind. Love you, Pans, he replied.

It was the first time they'd said the words to each other since Vincent had died.

...

End of the thirty-ninth chapter.

Thanks to everyone who's still reading this! I hope you're enjoying it.